Summary
Parents arm students with masks, sanitisers on Day 1
Teachers say children have a lot of catching up to do
Schools in the national capital welcomed students of primary and junior classes on February 14 after prolonged closure in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From today, schools for junior classes have reopened in Delhi. Younger kids were desperately waiting for schools to reopen. Childhood is incomplete without schools. I pray to God that we never have to close schools again,” Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
As the virus-induced restrictions eased, schools reopened for classes IX to XII on February 7 while Nursery to Class VIII reopened from February 14.
Students are elated at the prospect of going back to school. Aryan, a Class V student at SDMC school in Shanti Nagar, said, “I am happy as schools are reopening; I will get to meet friends. We have been asked to wear masks and carry sanitiser. I am excited, but I had to wake up at around 6.30 am to reach school. That is the only downside.”
Piyush, another student, added, “I am happy that I will be sitting in class, not at home. Feeling good. I hope the schools don’t close again.”
Several parents had come to schools to see off their children. Reena, a mother of two, said, “My child was in Class II when COVID-19 started and now he is in Class V. Covid has impacted studies. It is good that schools are reopening, I hope students stay safe and study well.” Reena’s younger son has also got admission in Kindergarten at the school. “I am glad he is getting to attend school in person, not online,” she added.
“The students have suffered a lot because of the lockdown and the resultant shutdown of the schools. They haven’t gained much knowledge in the past two years. Hopefully, this cycle will end now and schools are open for good,” said Ritu, another child’s mother.
Schools in New Delhi were briefly reopened before being closed again on December 28, 2021 in view of the third wave of the coronavirus, driven by its Omicron variant.
Even though the Centre has dropped the clause of mandated parental consent for students to physically attend classes from its guidelines, the Delhi government has decided to continue with the clause.
However, the schools are free to decide on the number of students they want to accommodate based on their infrastructure, keeping in mind COVID protocols.
Poonam Yadav, a class teacher of the third standard, said, “All students are very excited, as are we. Approximately two years have passed, but the basics of children are not very clear because they were not coming to school all this while. Several students have been attending classes from their hometown. And many of them haven’t returned. We have been contacting them.”
“Many parents have assured me that they will be returning soon. We are hoping students will return soon. It will take time to return to pre-COVID normalcy. We are expecting 50% attendance from today,” she added.
Last updated on 14 Feb 2022
